MSP proposes law to make sprinklers mandatory in new-build social housing

If enacted, David Stewart’s bill would place a duty on local authorities and Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) to install automatic fire suppression systems into all newly constructed social housing.

Prior to the Grenfell disaster, fire injuries and deaths in Scotland have been significantly higher than the rest of the country. In 2015-16, there were 5,673 dwelling fires in Scotland, 46 per cent higher per million inhabitants than in England and Wales.

Fires are also more prevalent in areas of socio-economic deprivation. The 2009 Scotland Together Report into Scottish fire deaths and injuries found that 31 per cent of all accidental dwelling fires occurred in the 15 per cent of most deprived areas of Scotland.

The same report found that, despite only constituting approximately 25 per cent all Scottish dwellings, social rented housing accounted for 40 per cent of all accidental dwelling fire deaths.

The Labour MSP’s proposal will begin a consultation period running until 16th April this year, and will also seek views on what action can be taken to retrofit sprinkler systems into existing high-rise social housing stock.

Mr Stewart said: “Councils in Angus, Fife and Dundee already install sprinklers into their new developments as standard and I want to see this approach extended all over Scotland.

“My consultation opens tomorrow for 12 weeks and I would encourage as many members of the public and organisations as possible to respond.”

Keith MacGillivray, chief executive of the British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Assocaition (BAFSA), said BAFSA “would also support the retro-fitting of automatic fire suppression systems (sprinklers) into all Scottish high-rise social housing”.

He added: “Automatic fire sprinklers have a proven track record for the mitigation of fire and the prevention of loss of life through fire, this goes back more than one hundred years.

“The installation of sprinkler systems to the appropriate British Standards by competent, third-party accredited installers will ensure that the risk from fire to the public and firefighters is reduced significantly.

“Sprinklers also reduce the impact on the environment from fire, they make buildings more sustainable, they ensure businesses are more resilient and they make economic sense over the lifespan of a building.”

Photo credit: By Brandon Leon - Flickr: Day 25: Fire Sprinkler, CC BY-SA 2.0